Life isn’t always fare

Any time San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials talk about the need for fare hikes and service cuts to plug the looming deficit, frustrated Muni riders demand that the agency get serious about cracking down on people who board the buses, streetcars and cable cars without paying and cheat the system out of much-needed revenue.

Muni brass, aware of the problem, is building up its force of fare inspectors and — under the watchful eye of skeptical city supervisors — is looking to retool the program to make it more effective.

The Chronicle

Warning? What warning?

Just how bad is the problem? A short bus down Market Street today offers some insight. City Insider caught a steady-stream of backdoor boarders hopping aboard a half-empty westbound 6-Parnassus from the Financial District to Fifth Street today. Nine men and women — not a teen among them — got on the bus at various stops without paying or showing a pass.

At one point the driver, eyeing two fare evaders in his rear view mirror, admonished the duo — with a dose of humor: “Hey, no boarding through the back door. This isn’t the 14-Mission,” he said, referrng to the line notorious for riders who don’t pay.